Richard Stallman's personal site.

2015-09-05

The Independent did not publish this letter (which was written in response
to
this article),
so I will publish it here.

Dear Editor,

I do not agree with the Animal Rights Movement, and if I did, I would
not campaign for it by planting bombs that endanger human animals.
Therefore I write to say that we must not place the blame for those
bombs solely on those who set them off. The government made itself
partly responsible, by suppressing the non-violent forms of protest
previously used. All people, including those we disagree with, have a
right to protest in ways that make their views heard.

Picketing in the street can be annoying. An old man shouting
"nonsense" can be annoying. And when the powerful believe they need
not suffer such annoyance, when they create laws to suppress it, they
become tyrants. Thus we need not search painstakingly for evidence
that Blair has lied to the public or to Parliament. Every time a
minister uses the term "anti-terrorist powers", he is lying. These
are anti-dissent powers--the powers of tyranny.